{"id":96703,"date":"2026-05-21T13:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/?p=96703"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:03:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:03:13","slug":"religious-controversy-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/religious-controversy-in-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious controversy in India over Hindu demands to convert the ‘Kamal Mola’ mosque into a temple."},"content":{"rendered":"
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A judicial ruling sparks controversy over the identity of a historical and religious site<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Kamal Mola Mosque in the Dhar area of Madhya Pradesh, in the heart of India, has for decades been a central part of the life of 78-year-old Muhammad Rafiq. For nearly fifty years, he has regularly delivered the call to prayer from the mosque\u2019s historic minaret, continuing a family tradition begun by his grandfather, Hafiz Rafiq, before India gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.<\/p>\n

However, this long-standing scene is now under threat. Rafiq and Muslim worshippers have been barred from entering the mosque, which lies within the archaeological site of Bhojshala, following a ruling by the state\u2019s High Court based on claims that an older temple exists at the location currently occupied by the mosque.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Hindu extremists pelt police with stones after they were pushed back to allow Muslims to pray at the Mola Mosque (AFP)<\/p>\n


Accusations of fueling Islamophobia as controversy over the site\u2019s identity escalates<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In a move aimed at immediately giving the site a Hindu character, activists hoisted saffron flags associated with the right-wing nationalist Hindutva movement at the archaeological complex, which dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Temporary statues of Hindu deities were also placed there amid heavy security deployment.<\/p>\n

The court ruled that the location is a temple dedicated to the goddess Vagdevi, known in Hindu belief as the goddess of speech, allowing Hindus to perform their rituals on-site. The ruling relied largely on the findings of a survey conducted two years ago by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).<\/p>\n

Conversely, the court rejected the Muslim community\u2019s request, while allowing them to seek an alternative location to build a mosque. Their representatives have announced plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, historian of the Indian subcontinent Audrey Truschke criticized the ASI\u2019s conclusions, stressing that academic research must rely on rigorous methodologies and clear scientific standards. She added that \u201cpolitically motivated surveys lack scholarly value.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truschke also noted that the growing targeting of mosques in India reflects what she described as \u201cdeep-rooted Islamophobia\u201d within Hindu nationalist circles, pointing to ongoing restrictions on Muslims\u2019 freedom to practice their religious rituals in the country.<\/p>\n

Escalating \u201cHindutva\u201d campaigns around religious and historical sites<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The controversy surrounding the Kamal Mola complex is not an isolated case in India. Hindu nationalist activists have previously launched similar campaigns claiming that several mosques were built on the ruins of Hindu temples after the arrival of Islam in the Indian subcontinent.<\/p>\n

These campaigns have intensified since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, backed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).<\/p>\n

The disputes no longer revolve only around mosques; they have expanded to major historical landmarks such as the Taj Mahal, whose 17th-century Mughal origins have sparked debate despite the fact that it is a mausoleum, not a mosque.<\/p>\n

As for the Kamal Mola Mosque dispute, it dates back to the 1950s, when the first claims from Hindu nationalist groups regarding ownership of the site emerged. In 2003, an agreement was reached with the Archaeological Survey of India allowing Hindus to visit the site weekly on Tuesdays, in exchange for allowing Muslims to continue holding Friday prayers at the mosque.<\/p>\n

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Hindus perform rituals inside the Bhojshala monument (Al Jazeera)<\/p>\n


Widespread controversy over historical records and ownership of the site<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Muslim protesters and critics of the High Court\u2019s decision believe the ruling granted the site to the Hindus in a manner that contradicts historical administrative records\u2014most notably a notice published in the official gazette in 1935, which classified the site as a mosque and affirmed Muslims\u2019 right to perform prayers inside it.<\/p>\n

In contrast, the court refused to rely on those referenced documents on the grounds that they date back to the colonial era\u2014before the application of current laws. It also called on the Indian government to consider retrieving the Vagdevi statue displayed in the British Museum, after Hindu activists claimed it was linked to the alleged temple at the disputed site.<\/p>\n

For his part, lawyer Ashar Warsi, who represents the Muslim side before the High Court in Madhya Pradesh, confirmed that historical records do not indicate that the statue was found within the Kamal Mola Mosque site. He argued that the opposing side\u2019s claims \u201care not based on accurate historical facts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fears of repeating the Babri Mosque scenario<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

India\u2019s 1991 Places of Worship Act prohibits altering the religious character of places of worship from what they were at the time of the country\u2019s independence in August 1947.<\/p>\n

Despite this, in 2019 the Indian Supreme Court issued a widely controversial ruling granting the land on which the Babri Masjid<\/strong>\u2014a 16th-century mosque in the city of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh\u2014once stood, to a trust designated to build a Ram temple.<\/p>\n

Political criticism and warnings regarding Islamic places of worship<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the High Court\u2019s decision, calling it \u201cprovocative,\u201d and said that the Archaeological Survey of India has\u2014according to him\u2014become a tool in the hands of forces associated with the Hindutva movement.<\/p>\n

Owaisi added that any move to convert mosques into temples is, in his view, a troubling message about the future of places of worship belonging to Muslims, who are the largest religious minority in India.<\/p>\n

United News Network \u2013 UNN Arabic<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

An independent media platform delivering reliable news and objective analysis. It seeks to promote peace and cultural dialogue worldwide, conveying truth and building bridges of understanding between nations.<\/p>\n

For more news, you can visit our homepage:
https:\/\/un-news.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Writer:<\/strong> Counselor Faisal Al-Mutairi
Publication date:<\/strong> 21 May 2026
Last updated:21 May 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A judicial ruling sparks controversy over the identity of a historical and religious site The Kamal Mola Mosque in the Dhar area of Madhya Pradesh, in the heart of India, has for decades been a central part of the life of 78-year-old Muhammad Rafiq. For nearly fifty years, he has regularly delivered the call to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-96703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-knowledge-space","8":"category-1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96703"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96703\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96840,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96703\/revisions\/96840"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/un-news.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}